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'We know so much about the solar system and yet so little about dwarf planet Ceres. Now, Dawn is ready to change that,' Rayman added.

This most recent images from Dawn showing the white blotch were taken January 13 at a distance of 238,000 miles (383,000 km).

While these latest images from Dawn aren’t quite as sharp as Hubble’s images from January 2004, Nasa says they will be very soon, and could help resolve the mystery.

As the Dawn spacecraft closes in on Ceres, new images have emerged showing the solar system's largest asteroid at 27 pixels across - three times better than the images taken in early December. This GIF shows bright and dark features

This is a raw image, taken January 13, 2015. Ceres is 590 miles (950 km) across and was discovered in 1801. In January, researchers discovered that water was gushing from its surface at a rate of 13lb (6kg) per second

On the left is a processed image, taken January 13. It hints at craters on the surface of Ceres. Dawn's framing camera took this image at 238,000 miles (383,000km) from Ceres. On the right, is a zoomed-in raw image

The dwarf planet is 590 miles (950 km) across and was discovered in 1801.

In January, researchers discovered that water was gushing from its surface at a rate of 13lb (6kg) per second.

Observations by the European Space Agency's Herschel telescope suggested they could be coming from geysers or ice volcanoes.

'Now, finally, we have a spacecraft on the verge of unveiling this mysterious, alien world,' said Rayman.

'Soon it will reveal myriad secrets Ceres has held since the dawn of the solar system.'

Ceres orbits the sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is very similar to Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus - both considered potential sources for harbouring life.

Ceres is the bright spot in the centre of the image. Because the dwarf planet is much brighter than the stars in the background, the camera team selected a long exposure time to make the stars visible. The long exposure made Ceres appear overexposed, and exaggerated its size A cropped, magnified view of Ceres appears in the inset image at lower left

Dawn will be captured into Ceres' orbit in March, marking the first visit to a dwarf planet by a spacecraft (artist's impression pictured)

Ceres is 590 miles (950 km) across and was discovered in 1801. In January, researchers discovered that water was gushing from its surface

THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF CERES

Ceres is the closest dwarf planet to the sun and is located in the asteroid belt, making it the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system.

Ceres is the smallest of the bodies currently classified as a 'dwarf planet'.

Scientists think Ceres may have an ocean and possibly an atmosphere.

It lies less than three times as far as Earth from the sun - close enough to feel the warmth of the star allowing ice to melt and reform.

Nasa's Dawn spacecraft has been making its way to Ceres from the asteroid Vesta since September 2012. It is due to land next year.

There is high interest in the mission because Ceres is one possible destination for human colonisation given its abundance of ice, water, and minerals.

Dr Michael Kuppers, of the Esa's lab in Villanueva de la Canada in Spain said: 'Although ground and space-based observations may further map the behaviour of Ceres over its orbit the Dawn spacecraft mission arriving to orbit Ceres in early 2015 is expected to be key in providing a long-term follow-up on the water outgassing behaviour of Ceres.'

The presence and abundance of water in bodies like Ceres could have relevance for the origin of life on Earth and the large-scale migration of planets such as Jupiter.

One scenario suggests as the giant planets migrated they disturbed populations of small rocky and icy asteroids and comets which hit the early Earth and Moon - delivering organic molecules and water to Earth.

Ceres is twice the size of Saturn's geyser-spouting moon Enceladus which is suspected of having liquid water beneath its surface.

It lies less than three times as far as Earth from the sun - close enough to feel the warmth of the star allowing ice to melt and reform.

Since launching in 2007, Dawn has already visited Vesta, a giant protoplanet currently located 104 million miles (168 million km) away from Ceres.

The distance between Vesta and Ceres is greater than the distance between the Earth and the sun.

During its 14 months in orbit around Vesta, the spacecraft delivered unprecedented scientific insights, including images of its cratered surface and important clues about its geological history.

Vesta and Ceres are the two most massive bodies in the main asteroid belt.

The image was taken as part of a final calibration of the science camera before Dawn's arrival. On December 1, Ceres was about nine pixels in diameter - nearly perfect for this calibration

Dawn has orbited one member of the main asteroid belt, Vesta, and is now heading to explore a second new world, dwarf planet Ceres